Las Cruces

Las Cruces is the seat of Dona Ana County, New Mexico. The area was colonized by the Spanish beginning in 1598, when Don Juan de Onate claimed all territory north of the Rio Grande for New Spain and became the first Governor of New Mexico; the area was named for the cross-marked graves of a party of Spaniards who were ambushed and killed near the Rio Grande. On 28 September 1821, Mexico claimed ownership of the region, which came under United States control in 1848 following the Mexican-American War; in 1849, the US Army laid out the town plans for Las Cruces. In 1881, the first train reached Las Cruces, and its population grew enough for it to be incorporated as a town in 1907. New Mexico State University was founded in 1888, and Las Cruces grew due to the university, government jobs, and recent retirees. In 2016, Las Cruces had a population of 101,759 people.